


Interrogation

by crystalsnowflakes



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Interrogation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27283744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalsnowflakes/pseuds/crystalsnowflakes
Summary: Rude experiences the most stressful interrogation that he has ever had to endure his entire life.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Rude, Yuffie Kisaragi/Reno
Comments: 11
Kudos: 10





	Interrogation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SultryMakoto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SultryMakoto/gifts).



> I know Reffie isn’t your main ship, but thank you so much for sticking around and always leaving such thoughtful & supportive messages because they brighten up my day! This one’s for you!! <3

The sound of Elena typing rapidly on her keyboard filled the silence of the office. Rude’s gaze drifted towards Reno, who had been abnormally quiet in his usual position on the office couch—laying face-up with his arms folded under his head, his legs dangling off the other side. His partner was more jittery than usual though—his feet tapped against one another, his body shifted often and his eyes glued to the clock. Reno was anxious and it bothered Rude that he didn’t quite know why.

As soon as the clock struck twelve, Reno practically jumped off the couch and scrambled over to where he was sitting.

“Heeeeey, partner. It’s lunch time. Let’s go,” Reno said as he motioned his head towards the elevator.

Rude heard Elena cough, almost as if she was holding in a giggle. When he looked up towards her, a small grin was on her face—she _almost_ looked sympathetic. A weary sigh escaped his lips as he glanced over at his partner with a raised eyebrow.

“This better not be a prank, partner.”

Reno raised his hand in surrender, but a small smirk that he didn’t trust graced his face. “Not a prank, yo. Promise.”

His promises often left much to be desired.

“And this is not Lady Kisaragi’s idea?” Rude asked as he stood up from his chair. As much as he had to admit that the future Empress of Wutai was good for his partner, he had sadly been having to endure her presence more and more lately. Not only was she dating his partner, she was also Tifa’s best friend—it was not good for his sanity to have to put up with her so often. One Reno in his life was enough, thank you very much.

The corners on Reno's lips twitched upwards after a slight pause. “Not Yuff’s idea, but she’ll be there.” The Second-in-Command almost looked like he was _looking forward_ to whatever was planned. “I’ve been kinda ordered to take you somewhere." He snickered.

There were only a handful of people in the world that Reno would take orders from and he was sure this order didn’t come from the Boss, the Chief _or_ the Commissioner—that left the future Empress or the barmaid and if this was not the ninja’s idea... He felt his chest tighten at the thought of seeing her again. Cloud had returned from his trip for a few days and Tifa had been able to sneak away from the bar yesterday evening. He had cherished the feeling of waking up with her warm body next to his this morning without her bustling around to deal with the children.

His lips curved into a small smile.

“So? We good, man?” Reno asked impatiently as his feet tapped the floor.

Rude nodded. “Let’s go.”

Reno’s eyes gleamed with amusement and eagerness. He had been on an assignment in Nibelheim the last week and hadn’t gotten back until late yesterday evening. Reno would never admit it, but the exuberant princess had him wrapped around her sticky finger and he had no doubt been miserable the entire last week he hadn’t seen her.

They walked in a relatively companionable silence with Reno’s occasional complaint about the busyness of the city, or the rotting stench of garbage that was prevalent in the scrappier parts of Edge. By the time Seventh Heaven came into view, Rude could feel his lips curving up in excitement at the thought of seeing Tifa again—he didn’t think he could ever get used to the idea that she was his.

Except Reno pushed open the already-unlocked entrance door and Rude felt the hair on the back of his neck rise in dread—that was the first hint that something was wrong. As soon as they entered the bar, Reno skulked towards the booth in the back corner where Yuffie was sitting with a shit-eating grin and Rude felt the sense that something was amiss hit him fully in the chest. And then the last another clue that something was terribly awry—Cloud was leaning against the wall near the bar with a frown on his face, looking as if he wanted to be anywhere else _but_ there.

Tifa stayed where she was, behind the bar, drying the newly washed beer mugs with a worried and apologetic expression on her face, the rusty-red of her eyes glowing with concern—she didn’t walk from where she was to give him the usual kiss and hug.

What was happening?

“Mr. Rude. Come have a seat,” Marlene spoke, her voice more serious than he had ever heard before.

It was only then that Rude noticed Denzel and Marlene sitting at the tall bar table near the front. Rude eyed the young boy as he sat up straighter in his stool, his expression hard to read before he looked at the normally cheerful girl whose lips were now drawn into line. He couldn’t help but notice the way Marlene’s short legs swung back and forth, the tips of her toes scraping against the stretcher of the barstool rhythmically. He had never been _close_ with the children, but they had always been on good terms—he didn’t understand where the hostility was suddenly coming from.

Muffled snickers from Reno and Yuffie were suddenly heard from behind him and he couldn’t believe his partner had decided to blindside him with _this,_ whatever this was.

The hard sole of his shoes clacked on the wooden floors as he approached the table, unbuttoning his jacket before sitting down. A cup of ice water sat in front of him as he eyed the cup suspiciously for a moment before ignoring it and looking towards the two children. His eyebrow raised behind his sunglasses as he cast Tifa a dubious look and she merely responded with a shrug and a small smile.

“Yes…?” he finally asked, his voice deep and carefully neutral.

"We've got a couple of questions for you," Denzel spoke up confidently with his hands clasped in front of him, but the slight quiver betrayed him. His eyes glanced down at the piece of paper that Rude noticed had half a page of scribbled down questions. Denzel cleared his throat slightly before starting. “S-so… Have you ever killed someone?” 

He heard Reno try in vain to turn his laugh into a cough and felt his apprehension rise. “Is this an interrogation?”

“Answer the question,” Denzel muttered, biting his lip slightly in nervousness.

“Classified,” Rude responded. How could he explain to a child that the reason he was an orphan—that the reason his parents had died under the collapse of the Sector Seven plate—was his fault? Every day, he wished that he had refused to follow that order.

“U-uh…” Denzel trailed off, clearly not having expected him to respond that way. “Have you ever tortured someone?”

“Classified.” Rude felt his hands sweating in his pair of rubber gloves.

“Have you ever,” Denzel squinted his eyes at the paper, “had to smuggle something?”

“Classified.”

How long was this going to go on for?

Denzel huffed in annoyance as he brushed his wavy brown hair out of his face, clearly hoping for different answers. Just as he opened his mouth to ask another question, Marlene nudged him gently with her elbow. Her eyes flashed with an intensity that surprised him and Rude felt his stomach drop. Marlene had been there from the beginning, had known about the Turks and Aerith, had been _there_ on that cursed day and he was sure Tifa had never hidden anything from her...

“Pie or cake?”

Rude almost toppled off his stool in surprise and by the quiet chortles behind him and the gleam of amusement in Cloud’s eyes, he was not the only one shocked by the turn of events. “Cake,” he muttered as he felt the oddest sensation of warmth flooding his cheeks.

“Oh really?” Marlene asked animatedly. “Do you like strawberry cake or cherry cake?”

“...strawberry cake,” he responded with a small frown. Was this her way of confusing him so that he would lower his defenses? Did she not understand that he was a _Turk?_ That he was _trained_ to withstand questionable interrogations techniques?

“Oooh, me too!” she squealed happily, placing her index finger on her chin in thought before she looked at him again. “Do you believe in moogles?”

“Moo—what?” he asked, bewildered.

“You don’t _know_ what moogles are?!” she asked with surprise as she leaned forward on the table, balancing precariously on her stool. “Have you never heard of the moogle mythology? Of how—”

Cloud pushed himself off the wall and the sound of his heavy boots hitting the floorboards quieted Marlene’s question. Rude watched with wariness as the swordsman approached both children before leaning over to whisper something in their ears. Despite trying, he couldn’t hear what he was saying to the two children, but the both of them nodded solemnly and Rude realized that the interrogation was truly starting _now._

The slight quirk on Cloud’s lips as he returned back to his place against the wall did not do anything to ease his unrest.

Denzel cleared his throat and Rude felt his fists tightening in anticipation. WIth the sternest look he could muster, the boy asked with a resolute tone, “What are your intentions with our Tifa?”

Instantly, the two behind him broke out in silent laughter and he had to remind himself to _murder_ his partner because Reno had clearly—knowingly—walked him into a trap. His gaze flickered involuntarily over to Tifa’s and he noted with satisfaction that her cheeks had turned a blushing pink—at least he wasn’t the only one feeling flustered. Betting on the fact that Tifa wouldn’t allow them to poison him, he cleared his dry throat and took a sip of water. 

And then he refocused his gaze on Denzel before taking off his sunglasses, hoping his eyes portrayed the truth. “My only intention,” he murmured truthfully, “is to make Tifa happy.”

Marlene gave a small squeal of happiness before she leaned against the table again, with a wide smile and bright eyes. “Are you gonna marry Tifa then?!” she asked, giggling.

Rude gave a small cough while putting his sunglasses back on before nodding. “Someday, I would like to, yes.” He felt his heart thundering in his ribcage and his eyes glanced over at Tifa again, who had ducked her head. But even so, he could see the way she held herself and he could imagine the small lift of her lips.

“Are you gonna have strawberry cake at the wedding?” Marlene questioned with her squeaky voice, her eyes huge. Before he could respond, she continued her string of breathless questions. “Does that mean you’re gonna get Tifa a ring? Are you gonna have kids? One? Two? Maybe three? Do you want a boy or a girl?” And then finally, she asked the question that had clearly been on her mind the whole time. “Can I be the flower girl?”

“That’s enough, Marlene,” Tifa’s gentle voice rang out as she carried out a tray of sandwiches and steaming mugs of coffee and hot chocolate out of the kitchen, laying down a plate in front of him. 

Marlene and Denzel gave Rude a grin and a wave before scampering off to sit next to Cloud by the bar, one on either side of him. Rude felt himself sag as an overwhelming feeling of relief washed through him—it seemed like he had passed the test. He wasn’t sure what would have happened if the children hadn’t been pleased with his answers, but he was glad that it was over.

“Sorry,” Tifa whispered in his ear as she sat down next to him. “They’ve been talking to me about it for a while, but of course, Marlene told Cloud and Yuffie, and Yuffie told Reno, and well…”

Rude couldn’t stop the snort of amusement from escaping. “Of course they were involved.”

Her light laughter rang in his ears and he couldn’t help but smile as he watched her—months later, he still couldn’t believe that he was the one making her laugh, making her smile, making her _happy._ Tifa’s eyes lit up with appreciation and adoration as she laid her hand on his arm. “Thank you, Rude.”

“Of course,” he responded instantly, although he couldn’t help but be honest. “That was quite possibly the most stressful interrogation I’ve had to endure.”

Tifa giggled. “Somehow, I don’t believe that.”

The rest of lunch passed quickly and as they were leaving, Tifa stood in the doorway, waiting for him so she could give him a goodbye kiss. Rude felt his cheeks burn, but he accepted the kiss with a smile as he ignored the loud chortles from both Yuffie and Reno.

Just as he was about to open the door to leave, Marlene cleared her throat and the two Turks turned around to watch her.

“So Mr. Reno,” Marlene started with an impish grin on her face. “What are _your_ intentions with Yuffie?”

Rude heard his partner utter curses under his breath before he felt himself being dragged out of the bar forcibly.

_“Eek! Marley!!!!”_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SultryMakoto for the idea for the fic! It took two months, but I had a lot of fun writing this.
> 
> As usual, comments & kudos are very much appreciated!


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